Communication Report for Yabbies R Us: Expanding Business in France

This report provides a comprehensive communication strategy for Yabbies R Us, an Australian company planning to expand its operations and export products to France. It begins with a cover letter and an executive summary. The report analyzes the cultural and linguistic differences between France and Australia, emphasizing the importance of a well-planned communication strategy. The report examines Hofstede's cultural dimensions, highlighting the contrasts between the two countries in areas such as power distance, individualism, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity versus femininity, and long-term orientation. It then develops a detailed communication strategy, including verbal communication tactics (e.g., respecting formal communication models, understanding French culture), non-verbal communication considerations (e.g., body language, greetings), and business negotiation styles (e.g., respecting hierarchy, providing documents in both languages). The report concludes with recommendations for effective communication and business practices. The report emphasizes the importance of cultural awareness, formal communication, and building long-term relationships while respecting French customs and privacy.

Running head: COMMUNICATION REPORT FOR YABBIES R US
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1COMMUNICATION REPORT FOR YABBIES R US
Cover Letter
Dear Peter Adams,
Director of Yabbies R Us
I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to prepare a report of
communication for Yabbies R Us. I take immense pleasure to apply my knowledge in the field of
communication to develop a communication plan for your company to operate in France.
France is a great country for doing business only if certain communication plan is
followed. In the report I have carefully analyzed various aspects of cultural and linguistic
difference between France and Australia. A sharp contrast is drawn between the two countries
based on Hofstede’s cultural dimension. Both verbal and non-verbal aspects of the
communication plan are carefully analyzed in this report.
I sincerely hope that this analytical report will be highly useful for you and delegates of
your company to develop long-term business relations with France. The recommendations are
expected to be helpful while negotiating in business meetings with French officials.
Yours sincerely,
Executive Summary

2COMMUNICATION REPORT FOR YABBIES R US
This report develops a communication strategy for Yabbies R Us. The Australian
company plans to operate and export its products in France. Since France and Australia are very
different on linguistic and cultural background, a well planned communication strategy is
developed in this report which will ease the Australian delegates to negotiate and develop
business relations with French officials. The report analyzes Hofstede’s cultural dimension and a
sharp contrast is drawn between France and Australia. Both verbal and non-verbal
communicational strategy and negotiating styles are analyzed. A set of recommendations is
provided at the end.

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Contents
2. Introduction..................................................................................................................................4
3. Discussion....................................................................................................................................4
3.1 Position of France in Hofstede’s cultural dimension.............................................................5
3.2- Position of Australia in Hofstede’s cultural dimension........................................................6
3.3 Developing a communication strategy for Yabbies R Us......................................................7
3.3.1 Verbal Communication Strategy.....................................................................................7
3.3.2 Non-verbal communication.............................................................................................8
3.3.3 Business negotiation........................................................................................................9
4. Summary and Conclusions..........................................................................................................9
5. Recommendations......................................................................................................................10
6. Reference Lists..........................................................................................................................11

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2. Introduction
Background and Purpose
The world is a global village in the present scenario. Companies focus on extending their
operations beyond their home country and capture the international market to sustain the
completion in the global world. Communication plays a vital role when countries plan to operate
in the international market. The way people communicate which includes both verbal and non-
verbal communication in a particular country is very different from that of the inhabitants of
another country (Chanlat 2013). The adoption of correct communication strategy is of paramount
importance to achieve desired success on business expansion in the foreign country. Yabbies R
Us. Is an Australian company which plans to expand its operation in foreign countries? The
communication strategy that Yabbies R Us. needs to adopt while operating in France needs to be
developed carefully. France and Australia has significant cultural difference and thus the ways
residents of both countries communicate are very different which is discussed below (Ang and
Van Dyne 2015).
3. Discussion
The culture of a country plays a vital role on the way a resident of a country
communicates verbally and non-verbally. Intercultural communication plays a pivotal role in
developing the communication strategy of two countries of different cultural and linguistic origin
(Bird and Mendenhall 2016).The culture on a country depends on the history, social and political
structure, religion and the language of the country. Culture and communication are inter-related.
Non-verbal communication is much more than body language which includes several dimensions

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like kinesics, proxemics, chronemics, haptics and vocalics/paralanguage (Chira 2014). The
communication strategy is developed for Yabbies R Us. The company plans to export yabbie -
freshwater crayfish native to Australia in France and the negotiation style and communication
strategy for Yabbies R Us. is developed based on the key principles of Hofstede’s cultural
dimension (Bermingham and Brewer 2013).
Hofstede has proposed five dimensions of culture based on his research in the year 1984.
The position of France and Australia in Hofstede’s cultural dimension is first analyzed before
proposing a communication strategy and negotiation style that needs to be adopted (Dartey-Baah
2013).
3.1 Position of France in Hofstede’s cultural dimension
Power Distance- France is a country which scores high in power distance. Centralization
of power is high and the control of laws and regulations is strongly vested of the government
with lengthy legal procedures. In France jobs are protected with formal and hierarchical structure
in the workplace. The high-class French people often judge others based on the way they dress
up and their body language (Halls 2014).
Individual versus Group Orientation-France scores high on individualism. Competition is
stiff at workplace and people strive hard to accomplish success in climbing up the corporate
ladder with sustainable individual effort.
Uncertainty Avoidance- French culture scores high on avoidance of uncertainty. They
require meticulous planning and detailed information before conducting a meeting or
negotiation. Surprises are not acknowledged in the workplace. The French people like to be
governed by a strict code of conduct, laws, regulations, guidelines, policies and framework at

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workplace which help them maintain the high individualistic and high power distance culture
(Scriven 2016).
Masculinity versus Feminine Orientation-France follows a somewhat Feminine culture as
they value quality of life. Work life balance is maintained with welfare programs like thirty-five
hours of work in a week and five weeks of holiday in a year. However, masculine characteristics
are often demonstrated by lower class French people who are competitive in nature and are goal-
oriented.
Long Term Versus Short Term Orientation- France is a country which scores relatively
high on long-term orientation. The people of the country are oriented pragmatically and have the
conviction that complexities of life are beyond human’s level of understanding and
comprehension.
3.2- Position of Australia in Hofstede’s cultural dimension
Contrast of Australia with France
Power Distance- Australia scores low on power distance as unlike France. The country
has lesser hierarchical structure in the workplace. The structure in the workplace is informal and
open communication model is adopted at workplace. Managers and employees have equal access
to information and they operate on a participative model for decision making (Martin and
Nakayama 2013).
Individualism-This factor of Hofstede cultural dimension shows similarity between
France and Australia. France is high on individualistic culture like Australia. In Australia, the

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culture is individualistic at workplace. Individuals are expected to be self-reliant and promotions
and hiring are based on the merit of the individual.
Uncertainty Avoidance- Australian culture demonstrates an intermediate value on this
scale. This means Australians have a neutral attitude towards uncertainty and ambiguous
situations unlike France which scores high on uncertainty avoidance.
Masculinity Vs Feminism- Australia demonstrates a high masculine culture. The
residents of the country are driven by competition, need for achievement and success.
Individuals take huge pride in self and try to accomplish credentials for self-improvement in
business as well as on personal front. This can be contrasted with France where the society
depicts a Feminism culture in general.
Long-term Orientation- Australia scores low on long-term orientation unlike France
which scores high on long term orientation. Australia follows a normative culture. The country
respects tradition and believes in quick results with less focus on future. Australians are usually
resistant towards societal changes unlike France which follows a pragmatic approach.
3.3 Developing a communication strategy for Yabbies R Us.
Yabbies R Us. is an Australian company which plans to export yabbie in several
countries including France. It can be depicted from the contrast of Hofstede’s cultural dimension
factors of France and Australia that both countries demonstrate a sharp contrast on these factors.
Thus the way people of both the countries communicate while doing business is very different.
3.3.1 Verbal Communication Strategy
1) In French culture, people are strongly opinionated while in Australia an open
communication model is followed. Therefore, Yabbies R Us. should have a strong knowledge on

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their business proposal, vision and mission statements and should be able to communicate clearly
the advantage that their business will bring into the French society and should defend their
viewpoint strongly while engaging on a face-to-face communication (Chhokar, Brodbeck. and
House 2013). The delegates of the company should be well aware of the Australian culture,
history and heritage as well as they should study about French history, political and cultural
aspects. The French take pride on their cultural heritage and would expect people from Australia
to have inter-cultural awareness before conducting business with them.
3) French people love to talk about French cuisine, philosophy, arts, literature and thus
delegates of Yabbies R Us. should be appreciative towards French food and other societal
aspects while developing business relations with them.
4) Overall verbal communication should respect the formal communication model of
France. Delegates of Yabbies R Us. should respect the French hierarchical levels in business
while communicating verbally with them (Chaney and Martin 2013).
3.3.2 Non-verbal communication
1) The French are generally conservative in their body language. Kissing on the cheeks is
accepted as a form of greeting however handshake is also widely accepted (Knapp, Hall and
Horgan 2013).
2) Since the French people respect ranks and hierarchical levels, the Australian delegates
of Yabbies R Us. should stand up to show respect if they are meeting any higher French
official(Leathers. and Eaves 2015).
3) The Australian counterparts should not be alarmed if the French official raises his
voice occasionally as the French express their disinterest on a particular topic while doing so.

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3.3.3 Business negotiation
While conducting business negotiations following things should be taken care of by the
Australian delegates
1) The strong vertical hierarchy of the French workplace should be respected with formal
communication. The Australian delegates should know preliminary French language and should
apologize for not speaking perfect French. Business relations can be well developed if the
language is known.
2) All the documents and supporting material should be presented in both French and
English. The French respects privacy and personal matters should not be discussed in business
meetings (Pruitt 2013).
3) The products of the company should be explained clearly. French people prefer to hear
logical statements and meetings are expected to be lengthy.
4) The French officials may not make decisions quickly while negotiating and they focus
on long-term business relationships (Rubin and Brown 2013).
4. Summary and Conclusions
The French officials take pride in their culture and Australian delegates should be well
aware of the French history, art and culture and should be appreciative about it while
communicating with French officials. The negotiation duration is expected to be longer and all
business letters should be formally addressed and documents should be translated in French.
Focus of Australian delegates of Yabbies R Us. should be to present all ideas on a logical

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fashion and to build long-term business relationships with France without intruding on the
private life of French officials. The Australian delegates should be dressed well and focus on
their body language while conducting business meetings and should restrict their native open
communication model.
5. Recommendations
1) The French people play huge importance on non-verbal aspects of communication and express
themselves with more gestures.
2) Business Cards should be printed in both English and French.
3) The business cards should be submitted at the reception to the secretary and subsequently to
other people.
4) The position and title should be mentioned clearly on business cards as the French people are
particular about credentials.
5) Privacy of French officials should not be intruded.

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6. Reference Lists
Ang, S. and Van Dyne, L., 2015. Handbook of cultural intelligence. Routledge.
Bermingham, A. and Brewer, J., 2013. Consumption Of Culture. Routledge.
Bird, A. and Mendenhall, M.E., 2016. From cross-cultural management to global leadership:
Evolution and adaptation. Journal of World Business, 51(1), pp.115-1
Chaney, L. and Martin, J., 2013. Intercultural business communication. Pearson Higher Ed.
Chanlat, J.F., 2013. Cross-cultural management: culture and management across the world.
Routledge.
Chhokar, J.S., Brodbeck, F.C. and House, R.J. eds., 2013. Culture and leadership across the
world: The GLOBE book of in-depth studies of 25 societies. Routledge.
Chira, D., 2014. NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION. CONSTRUCTIONS OF IDENTITY
(VII), p.67.
Dartey-Baah, K., 2013. The cultural approach to the management of the international human
resource: An analysis of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. International Journal of Business
Administration, 4(2), p.39.
Halls, W.D., 2014. Education, Culture and Politics in Modern France: Society, School, and
Progress Series. Elsevier.
Knapp, M.L., Hall, J.A. and Horgan, T.G., 2013. Nonverbal communication in human
interaction. Cengage Learning.

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Leathers, D.G. and Eaves, M., 2015. Successful nonverbal communication: Principles and
applications. Routledge.
Martin, J.N. and Nakayama, T.K., 2013. Experiencing intercultural communication. McGraw-
Hill Higher Education.
Pruitt, D.G., 2013. Negotiation behavior. Academic Press.
Rubin, J.Z. and Brown, B.R., 2013. The social psychology of bargaining and negotiation.
Elsevier.
Scriven, M., 2016. Jean-Paul Sartre: politics and culture in postwar France. Springer.